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Wednesday,June16,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
OPINION
The opinions expressed in the letters below are “your voice,” and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Columbia Gorge News, its staff, publisher or advertisers.
YOUR VOICE
School supportive
Dear Hood River County School
District,
After reading Superintendent
Polkinghorn's June newsletter, I
began reflecting over the last year's
challenges for everyone within the
Hood River County School District.
My granddaughter graduated last
year from HRVHS, and even though
the celebration was altered and may
have been a little disappointing, no
prom or the usual senior activities
due to COVID-19, the teachers, staff
and community members made it
wonderful and memorable. For me
it was the parade to the high school
on graduation day!
The teachers, councilors and staff
at HRVHS have gone above and be-
yond to help my daughter through
her junior year. She has every
opportunity to be successful and
graduate because of their efforts.
I am so appreciative and thankful
for your tireless support, determi-
nation and courage in the face of
adversity (pandemic).
I cannot express enough my grat-
itude to each and all in the Hood
River County School District. Your
commitment to the youth of Hood
River County is exceptional. You are
all heroes!
Kari Goben
Cascade Locks
Right or privilege?
In response to letter about voting
being a privilege:
Privilege (N): An immunity or
benefit enjoyed only by a person
beyond the advantaged of most.
Right (N): That which is due to any-
one by just claim, legal guarantees,
or moral principles. Responsibility
(N): Being answerable or account-
able for something within ones
power, control or management.
It does seem that the conserva-
tive right are attempting to reserve
voting for a select group. This is ev-
ident by the restrictive laws passed
by many states limiting voting
places and removing drop boxes
in high density as well as sparsely
populated districts among other
restrictions throughout the United
States.
While I agree "Election Day"
should be a day employers allow
employees the time to vote during
the work day, I would go a step
further and make "Election Day"
a national holiday for presidential
elections.
However, voting "in-person only"
and only on one day as you suggest
will exclude tens of millions of
Americans from the "privilege" or
"responsibility" of voting.
This leaves out most convalescing
voters, those serving in the armed
services overseas and those with a
debilitating physical condition.
The cause of these restrictive
voting laws passed in more than 16
states is based on the fear monger-
ing and lies of a few that there is, or
has been, widespread voter fraud in
the 2020 presidential election. Yet
there is zero proof this exists.
It's a well known fact that Oregon,
Washington and Colorado, all states
with mail in voting, have the safest
and most secure elections in the
country.
So yes, by all means, if you are
able, vote in person.
However, we must not exclude
safe and secure methods of voting
for those unable to endure the
unending hours (not minutes) in
voting lines many Americans are
subjected to.
Peter Dallman
White Salmon
Roving Raptor
realities about the issues from the
recent past:
In 2020, Houston, Texas, election
officials permitted only one drop
box for a county of more than 2
million residents. Hood River had
the same number of drop boxes for
10,000 people even with mail-in
ballots.
Many legal voters do not have
cars and cannot drive. In some rural
areas, these voters are now forced
to drive up to three hours each way
simply to apply for a voter ID to
take to the polling station. Certainly
that goes beyond the threshold of
reasonable effort.
In counties where many people
of color reside, access to polling
stations has been restricted under
the guise of “election security.”
This forces these voters to stand for
hours in extreme weather simply to
cast a vote. Frail or elderly people
are harmed by putting forth the un-
reasonable effort. New laws actually
prevent well-meaning people offer-
ing a bottle of water to a dehydrated
voter to limit voter tampering.
The only privilege I can see in this
is for healthy individuals whose em-
ployer permits them to miss work
to vote. Without a national holiday,
there can be no equality, and the
GOP would be foolish to support
A red tailed hawk perches on a dead branch in the morning sunshine in the Fulton Canyon area east of The Dalles Thursday,
that.
June 10.
Photo courtesy Gary Elkinton
Steve and Jacob Kaplan
Hood River
Thank you Sawyers
involved is the only way we can
only pretend to serve.
keep White Salmon as the quaint
Douglas Knight
little town it is. Call City Hall, 509-
Hood River
493-1133. Join us on Facebook at
White Salmon Community News.
Dorothy Herman
The Grand Old Party is falling
White Salmon apart. Disintegration or division
seems inevitable for the Republican
Party.
Division seems the better alter-
native in terms of a more peaceful,
constructive and less disruptive
The Fruit Loop is listed on the
resolution. Our two-party system
Hood River County website as one
has worked pretty well, but it has
of our richest recreational tourism
been successful because two major
assets. It's front and center under
parties have worked within the con-
"Community Profile," and I quote:
"The county’s scenic, almost pas-
stitutional system established back
in 1789 for these United States.
toral setting has made it a famous
If it is to be division, a new name
destination for visitors who come
will be necessary. The Republican
to drive or bike (for emphasis) the
Party is a proud name with a rich
famous Fruit Loop..."
history, except for what has hap-
Unfortunately, the collective
The City of White Salmon is start- group of Hood River County com-
pened over the past several years.
That name should continue, but be
ing a "City Lab Board" of 10 Citizen missioners, engineers and public
free of the burdens it has carried
works personnel, by chip-sealing
Advisers, two shall be city council
members, three City of White
East Side Road, have diminished, if during those recent years. What to
not practically destroyed, full public call those who divide and depart is
Salmon residents, plus five mem-
the challenge.
bers that can consist of residents in access to this valuable resource.
Moving under the new name
We trust our public officials
the White Salmon Urban Exempt
should be all those who continue
and employees to protect our
Area, Columbia Gorge tribal reps,
their allegiance to Donald J. Trump.
community and to safeguard our
high school students or other
The time seems right to seek ideas
infrastructure resources so that
"regionally appropriate stakehold-
for that new name.
all members of the public will
ers" to develop and recommend
We need to further the conversa-
equally enjoy proper use of our
ordinances, resolutions, and/or
building code changes that support public right-of-way... But instead,
tion about severance, in the interest
in the name of choosing short-term
the adopted Comprehensive Plan.
economics over long-term commu-
I don’t want developers, real es-
tate brokers and out of town “stake nity prosperity and health, and by
holders” on the “City Lab Board”
choosing chip sealing rather than a
who want to cram tiny houses into
pavement or seal coat overlay, that
our established neighborhoods.
trust has been squandered in the
Too often, our city council is lis-
most ignorant, incompetent, and
tening to more of those from out of negligent way.
The display of the county’s myo-
town than the tax paying residents
in White Salmon.
pia and lack of true understanding
A local developer is currently
is abhorrent. The entire cycling
Columbia Gorge News encourag-
constructing apartments/vacation
community and even more prob-
es readers to submit letters to the
rentals on Main Street in White
lematic, some inexperienced tourist editor for the weekly opinion page.
Salmon. He commented in the May riders, will now be forced to use the
Letters on all topics are welcome.
12 Columbia Gorge News that “a
Writers must include their name
narrow shoulders of Highway 35 as
friend in Portland recently finished the only other north-south connec-
and hometown (for publication)
a 100 unit development" with six
and daytime phone number (for
tive route. There are no other viable
off-street parking spots.
verification, not for publication).
east hills / east valley road-bike
He was complaining about the
Letters from an agency or group
cycling routes, and without East
number of parking spaces he had
must be credited to the author or a
Side Road, where are we to go? It
to provide for renters of the new
contact person.
will be 15 years before East Side is
building. His new building will
Anonymous or “name with-
resurfaced and smooth again!
have more than 40 parking spots
So much for bucolic, healthy rec-
held by request” letters are not
but I sure hope he understands that reational experiences that benefit
accepted.
White Salmon does not have a Max the Hood River tourism economy
Letters must be 350 words or
train or Tri-met bus coming along
fewer; generally, the briefer the
and for our county officials actually
every 30 minutes either.
message, the better. Opinion pieces
respecting and understanding the
I feel the June 9 letter “Voting is
If it weren’t required for his units, recreation portion of our popula-
longer than 350 words may be
a Privilege” missed most of the key
they would be taking all the parking tion and having the sophistication
published as a guest commentary
issues experts concerned about
spaces close to city hall and the
at the discretion of the editor.
voter suppression across the U.S.
and wherewithal to know how and
surrounding neighborhood.
Letters are published as space
have expressed.
what to do to accomplish the right
I am concerned about the people thing for this segment of citizens.
allows, and efforts are made each
First, and foremost, voting is a
week to provide as much space as
legal right, not a privilege. Any adult who move to White Salmon be-
I, and others like me, demand
possible.
who meets a state’s criteria is grant- cause it is a "quaint little town in the more from our county government
Deadline for letters is noon on
and we would appreciate their
Gorge” and then set out to change
ed the right to vote in an election.
the Friday prior to publication.
Many of the new laws referenced in our town to look like the place they acknowledging their failures and
We reserve the right to edit all
finding newfound commitment and
just left. We don’t want our White
the June 9 letter purposely created
letters:
resolve to do better in the future!
Salmon to look like Portland or
barriers and undue hardships on
Letters must be civil.
Perhaps then, they’d actually im-
voters, effectively limiting their legal California.
Vulgar or inappropriate lan-
To the residents of White Salmon, prove not only the life of our roads,
right to vote.
I say “get involved.” Getting
Below are just a few of the
but the lives of those citizens they
guage will not be considered, nor
Each year the fifth grade students
at Dry Hollow have an egg drop
activity. They build an egg drop
container that can keep an egg in-
tact after a 30 foot drop. For the last
10 years, Sawyer's Ace True Value
and Hardware has been gracious
enough to loan us a lift.
It is nice to have a business in
The Dalles that supports education
and is willing to go the extra mile
for kids. Sawyers is that kind of busi-
ness. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Courtney Kiser
Dry Hollow Elementary School
The Dalles
Falling apart
Chip seal bad
for bicyclists
Get involved in
city planning
of preserving our two party system
and our democracy. Too much
attention is being paid to the noise
created by a small number of loud
voices, and not enough to reality.
The reality is that while we
may read that “a large majority of
Republican voters still back the
former president” Republican
voters represent only about 25% of
those registered to vote. Unless a
large percentage of those registered
as Independent support the Big
Lie, or efforts to deny voter access
succeed, the odds are good that the
unnamed group will not be winning
many elections.
A name is needed. What should
it be? Lemming and Mugwump
have been suggested. Google those
and see what you think. Look for
the David Frum article about the
Mugwump name.
The Frum article not only ex-
plains the name, but also provides
some comfort in knowing that our
current situation is not without
precedent, as the union survived a
prior crisis in the Grand Old Party.
Keith A. Mobley
Dufur
Want to write
a letter?
Right, not Privilege
Regional news for the Gorge
malicious, false or misleading
statements.
Letters attacking an individual,
rather than an opinion, are not
acceptable.
Letters criticizing a particular
business over a particular com-
plaint or grievance will not be
considered.
The opinions expressed in
letters are “Your Voice,” and do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of
the Columbia Gorge News, its staff,
publisher or advertisers.
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at www.ColumbiaGorgeNews.com:
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